[C38] Water Filtration

[Tom T.]

Hello Steve,

I don't know if it is the best place for a filter but I have a whole house filter.  I installed a pressure regulator/water inlet combination from an RV store and mounted it on the port side of the stern locker by the tiller post mirror image to the manual bilge pump.

My filter is between the water inlet and the pump inlet so any city water I use will go through my filter before anywhere on the boat.  I have a crossover valve in my bilge going between a tee in my cold water supply going to the head and the suction line going from my water tank to the pump.  When connected to city water, I open the vent cap on the water tank so it can't over pressure, then I open the crossover valve in the bilge until my water tank starts to overflow.

I've owned my boat since 1993 and I've never had the deck water cap off except when I first bought the boat.  I installed the whole house filter and cross over valve the first month I had the boat.  The RV type inlet in the cockpit is very sanitary with no chance for seagull droppings getting into my fresh water supply.  Deck fittings are nasty in comparison.

My whole house filter is mounted out of the way up under the port side of my aft locker.  It was a B**** mounting it there but I wanted it out of the way.  My boat is in St. Pete Florida so I don't have to worry about the filter housing freezing but the filter could have easily been mounted in the engine compartment where it would also be freeze proof except in the most severe weather climates.

I do have a strainer on the water line going from my water tank to the pump but that is mostly to protect the pump.  Our whole house filter, with the right charcoal element, also takes out any sulfur or other taste you sometimes get at marinas when traveling.  I've been to places in Florida and the Bahamas where the water smelled and tasted like it was from a septic tank. A good charcoal filter removes all unpleasant tastes making the water taste like bottled water.

Getting back to your original question, you cannot mount a good filter on the suction supply side of a pump because it will cause too much restriction.  That is why I used a low loss strainer on the pump supply side instead of another whole house filter for about the same price as a good strainer.  If you want to have filtered water from your pump, you could easily mount a filter in the output side of the pump.  My way with a filter at a city inlet in the cockpit only lets clean filtered water into the boat but will not help if I somehow get contaminated water in my water tank, although that has never happened using the crossover valve for filling the tank.

Good luck,
Tom Troncalli 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Steve Smolinske 
To: Catalina 38 Listserve
Sent: 12/23/2009 11:34:01 AM 
Subject: [C38] Water Filtration


Does anyone have a water filter installed in the house water system?  If so is there a correct location for it, specifically before or after the pump?  

Steve Smolinske
President

4M Company, Inc.
15660 Nelson Place South
Seattle, WA  98188
425-227-4500
www.rainierrubber.com

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